في بلاد يغتال فيها المفكرون، ويكفر الكاتب
وتحرق الكتب، في مجتمعات ترفض الآخر، وتفرض الصمت على الافواه والحجر على الافكار،
وتكفر اي سؤال، كان لابد ان استأذنكم ان تسمحوا لي..
In a country where thinkers are
assassinated, and writers are considered
infidels and books are burnt, in societies
that refuse the other, and force silence on
mouths and thoughts forbidden, and to
question is a sin, I must beg your pardon,
would you permit me?

فهل تسمحون لي
ان اربي اطفالي كما اريد، وألا تملوا علي
اهواءكم واوامركم؟
Would you permit me to bring up my
children as I want, and not to dictate on
me your whims and orders?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم اطفالي ان الدين لله اولا، وليس
للمشايخ والفقهاء والناس؟
Would you permit me to teach my
children that the religion is first to God, a
nd not for religious leaders or scholars
or people?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم صغيرتي ان الدين هو اخلاق وأدب وتهذيب
وامانة وصدق، قبل ان اعلمها بأي قدم تدخل الحمام وبأي يد تأ3ل؟
Would you permit me to teach my little
one that religion is about good manners,
good behaviour, good conduct, honesty
and truthfulness, before I teach her with
which foot to enter the bathroom or with
which hand she should eat?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم ابنتي ان الله محبة، وانها تستطيع ان
تحاوره وتسأله ما تشاء، بعيدا عن تعاليم أي أحد؟
Would you permit me to teach my
daughter that God is about love, and she
can dialogue with Him and ask Him
anything she wants, far away from the
teachings of anyone?

هل تسمحون لي الا اذكر عذاب القبر لاولادي،
الذين لم يعرفوا ما هو الموت بعد؟
Would you permit me not to mention the
torture of the grave to my children,
who do not know about death yet?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم ابنتي اصول الدين وادبه واخلاقه، قبل
ان افرض عليها الحجاب؟
Would you permit me to teach my daughter
the tenets of the religion and its culture and
manners, before I force on her the 'Hijab'?*

هل تسمحون لي
ان اقول لابني الشاب ان ايذاء الناس وتحقيرهم
لجنسيتهم ولونهم ودينهم، هو ذنب كبير عند الله؟
Would you permit me to tell my young
son that hurting people and degrading
them because of their nationality, colour
or religion, is considered a big sin by God?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اقول لابنتي ان مراجعة دروسها والاهتمام بتعليمها
انفع واهم عند الله من حفظ آيات القرآن عن ظهر قلب دون تدبر معانيها؟
Would you permit me to tell my daughter
that revising her homework and paying
attention to her learning is considered by
God more useful and important than
learning by heart Ayahs from the Quran
without knowing their meaning?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم ابني ان الاقتداء بالرسول الكريم يبدأ
بنزاهته وامانته وصدقه، قبل لحيته وقصر ثوبه؟
Would you permit me to teach my son
that following the footsteps of the
Honourable Prophet begins with his
honesty, loyalty and truthfulness, more than
his beard or how short his thobe**

هل تسمحون لي
ان اقول ل7بنتي ان صديقتها المسيحية ليست
كافرة، والا تبكي خوفا عليها من دخول النار؟
Would you permit me to tell my daughter
that her Christian friend is not an infidel,
and ask her not to cry fearing her friend
will go to Hell?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اجاهر، ان الله لم يوكل احدا في الارض بعد الرسول لان يتحدث باسمه
ولم يخول احدا بمنح 'صكوك الغفران' للناس؟
Would you permit me to argue, that God
did not authorize anyone on earth after
the Prophet to speak in his name nor did
he vest any powers in anyone to issue
'deeds of forgiveness' to people?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اقول، ان الله حرم قتل النفس البشرية، وان
من قتل نفسا بغير حق كأ نما قتل الناس جميعا، وانه لا يحق لمسلم ان يروع مسلما؟
Would you permit me to say, that God has
forbidden killing the human spirit, and
who kills wrongly a human being is as if
he killed all human kind, and no Moslem
has the right to frighten another Moslem?

هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم اولادي ان الله اكبر واعدل وارحم من
كل فقهاء الارض مجتمعين؟ وان مقاييسه تختلف عن مقاييس المتاجرين بالدين، وان
حساباته أحن وارحم؟
Would you permit me to teach my children
that God is greater, more just,
and more merciful than all the (religious)
scholars on earth combined? And that his
standards are different from the
standards of those trading the religion,
and that his accountability is kinder and
more merciful?

هل تسمحون لي
Would you permit me?

نزار قباني
Nizar Kabbani

Nizar Qabbani was born on March 21, 1923 in Damascus, Syria and died at age 65 on April 30, 1988 in London, England. Nizar worked as a Syrian diplomat in Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, Madrid and London. He was also known as a poet, writer and publisher. His poetic style combines simplicity and elegance in exploring themes of love, eroticism, feminism, religion, and Arab nationalism. He is one of the most revered contemporary poets in the Arab world. In 1959, when the United Arab Republic was formed, Qabbani was appointed Vice-Secretary of the UAR for its embassies in China. He wrote extensively during these years and his poems from China were some of his finest. He continued to work in the diplomatic field until he tendered his resignation in 1966. By that time, he had established a publishing house in Beirut, which carried his name.

Notes

*Hijab - the veil.

** Thobe - long shirt/dress.

This English translation of "Would you permit me?" has been lightly revised (grammatically) by Axis of Logic